3 Governments Propose Wider Dairy Road

May 6, 1986|By David Scruggs of The Sentinel Staff

WEST MELBOURNE — Dairy Road will be widened from two lanes to four next year under a joint proposal by West Melbourne, Melbourne and Brevard County, all of whom have jurisdiction over portions of the road.

Billy Taylor, Brevard County public works director, said engineering and design plans will begin when the three governments sign a legal agreement they will receive in about a month.

Construction will begin next year and will take about a year to complete, Taylor said.

Dairy Road connects U.S. Highway 192 in Melbourne to Palm Bay Road at the northern boundary of Palm Bay, and is narrow and in disrepair.

When Dairy is widened, it will become the third major north-south artery between Melbourne and Palm Bay.

A $95,000 study will determine where needed right of way will come from and will estimate the project cost. The study will begin when a consultant is selected by a joint-government committee in a few weeks.

Generally, it costs about $1.5 million to widen a mile of road to four lanes, according to county and state transportation officials. Dairy Road is about three miles long.